Close to perfection. Silly and irreverent in all the ways we've come to expect from this lady, yet surprising in its depth of cultural commentary abouClose to perfection. Silly and irreverent in all the ways we've come to expect from this lady, yet surprising in its depth of cultural commentary about women, work, and humor. I laughed, I cried (from laughing), and I'd recommend this to any and everyone....more

I like Lena Dunham. There, I said it. I don't disagree with the usual complaints issued against her: that she's self-absorbed and exhibitionist and spI like Lena Dunham. There, I said it. I don't disagree with the usual complaints issued against her: that she's self-absorbed and exhibitionist and spoiled. I just think that she's also smart, insightful, and funny, and that critics fail to see these attributes because we live in a hyper-opinionated media landscape where writers feel they must "come down" on one side or the other of celebrity popularity contests.

So I liked "Not That Kind of Girl" because I can hear in it the same Dunham who created GIRLS. To be sure, the collection of essays (most of them about Dunham's childhood, sexual history, and family) is uneven; some, such as "What's Currently in My Purse," feel like filler. But other essays made me laugh and tear up and want to watch GIRLS again. As a writer Dunham is no Marilynne Robinson, but the unadorned tone is perfect for the confessional mode at work here and in most of Dunham's work.

With sparse yet richly detailed prose, Ron Hansen takes us into a world foreign to moderns: the cloisters of nuns in upstate New York, circa 1909. TheWith sparse yet richly detailed prose, Ron Hansen takes us into a world foreign to moderns: the cloisters of nuns in upstate New York, circa 1909. There, the new presence of Mariette, a young, passionate and beautiful postulate, invokes awe, fear, and hatred in her fellow devouts. Against this backdrop, Hansen explores the thin line between sexual and spiritual desire, the competing claims and authority of science and religion, and the beauty of devotion amid group opposition. At the end of the novel, mystery triumphs, and we are left with a portrait of a young woman who comes to know Christ unmediated, a presence as close as a bridegroom....more

A gorgeous story of a family's relationship to the land and the pain of living in unrequited love. Memorable characters--with bonus points for a stronA gorgeous story of a family's relationship to the land and the pain of living in unrequited love. Memorable characters--with bonus points for a strong female lead that defies expectations of her sex....more

For all that I could say about the author's overwrought writing (e.g., "This was the worst, most searingly painful day of excruciating hiking I had evFor all that I could say about the author's overwrought writing (e.g., "This was the worst, most searingly painful day of excruciating hiking I had ever been on. Really"), 'Wild' succeeded in at least this way: I now want to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

More a journey of emotions than of geography, 'Wild' is Cheryl Strayed's memoir of losing her beatific mother to cancer, divorcing a good man to shack up with a heroin addict in Portland, and seeking her own healing by way of hiking the trail that spans California to Oregon. The physical toll, the bad memories and perpetual sadness, loneliness, and not a few real threats keep Strayed's narrative winding and engaging, if a bit too inwardly focused for large chunks of the story. I was struck by how few details emerged of the *places* that Strayed passed through. We get some details of the landscape, but many more about the emotional places Strayed has been. This is all fine, but, as other reviewers have noted, I would have enjoyed more details about the natural beauty on the PCT.

Still, there is something raw and powerful about Strayed's story. I found myself flooded with empathy during the first section of the book, which describes the ways her mother lived sacrificially and joyfully despite strain, about the way a death ripples out and touches the shores of innumerable others. A person's life matters. Strayed herself seems to find a kind of inner strength during her hike, during which she finds she can do the difficult thing. She can take another step....more

Karr is the kind of writer who seems to improve my own writing the more I read her. This, her third memoir, is a searing account of her alcohol addictKarr is the kind of writer who seems to improve my own writing the more I read her. This, her third memoir, is a searing account of her alcohol addiction, troubled marriage, fears about turning into her verbally abusive mom, and highly unlikely conversion to Catholicism. Hard not to gobble up in one sitting....more

As always, Fleming Rutledge proves her powerful gift of capturing the earth-shattering, world-encompassing message that is the gospel. This sermon colAs always, Fleming Rutledge proves her powerful gift of capturing the earth-shattering, world-encompassing message that is the gospel. This sermon collection focuses specifically on Romans, which only heightens the intensity of Rutledge's words. Also, she always gets five stars because I kind of want to be (like) her someday. ...more